Carpenter salary in Topeka, KS
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Carpenters in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $51,210 a year, or $24.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $72,430 a year. That's 10% less than the Kansas median of $56,960.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.26/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 360
- After cost of living
- $57,660
- Median hourly pay
- $24.62/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −15%
- vs Kansas median
- −10%
Apprentice, journeyman and top carpenter pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $37,990–$47,340$18.26–$22.76/hr | |
| Journeyman | $51,210$24.62/hr | |
| Top earners | $61,620–$72,430$29.63–$34.82/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Topeka, KS compares
- Topeka ranks 5th of 7 Kansas metro areas for carpenter pay.
- Carpenters are less concentrated in the Topeka area than nationally: 3.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.73 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $72,430, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $37,990: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Kansas metro areas
Other trades in Topeka, KS
Questions
- How much do carpenters make in Topeka, KS?
- Carpenters in the Topeka, KS area earn a median of $51,210 a year, or $24.62 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $72,430 a year.
- How much do carpenters make an hour in Topeka, KS?
- The median hourly wage is $24.62. The middle half earn between $22.76 and $29.63 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice carpenters make in Topeka, KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.26 an hour ($37,990 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.76.
- How much does a journeyman carpenter make in Topeka, KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $51,210 a year ($24.62 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $61,620–$72,430.
- Do carpenters make more in Topeka or Kansas City?
- Kansas City pays more: the median is $51,210 in Topeka and $61,810 in Kansas City, a 17% difference.
- How does Topeka pay compare with the rest of Kansas?
- The Topeka median of $51,210 is 10% less than the Kansas median of $56,960.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2031 (Carpenters), area code 45820 (Topeka, KS). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed carpenters and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (88.8, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures